Canelo Álvarez (64-3-2) reclaimed the WBC super middleweight title by making Christian Mbilli miss and punishing his approaches, winning a unanimous decision after twelve rounds on Saturday. Returning from thirteen months out following his defeat to Terence Crawford, Canelo showed that pressure alone was not enough to overwhelm him.
The judges scored it 115-112, 116-111 and 117-110, with Boxing News 24 scoring it 116-111. Mbilli (29-1-1) supplied the greater activity in stretches, but Canelo’s cleaner counters, jab and defensive work gave him the stronger scoring punches across enough rounds to secure the victory.
Canelo established that difference early. Mbilli came forward with energy and tried to force a fast pace, only to find that much of his offense struck the guard or missed. Canelo answered selectively, catching the champion as he entered rather than trying to match every burst with an equally long combination.
The opening three rounds favored Canelo’s accuracy on our card. His jab helped him judge the distance, while his counters discouraged Mbilli from attacking without caution. The champion was working hard, but the effort did not consistently produce clean connections.
Mbilli improved in the fourth, landing more frequently and forcing Canelo into a largely defensive role. That was the approach he needed to sustain: make Canelo respond to several attacks rather than give him time to select a single counter. When Mbilli kept the work coming, the rounds became considerably harder to separate.
The sixth provided another productive spell for the champion. Canelo spent time backing up and near the ropes, answering with occasional body shots and counters while Mbilli supplied the steadier offense. Those passages kept the fight competitive and showed why Canelo could not afford to rely entirely on isolated punches.
Canelo responded in the seventh with one of his better rounds. A stiff jab interrupted Mbilli’s output, and a sharp right uppercut caught him coming forward. Canelo also mixed in body work, giving the champion more to consider before launching his next attack.
The eighth brought a costly point deduction against Mbilli from referee Hector Afu. Canelo’s cleaner work earned him the round on our card, making it 10-8 after the penalty. That gave the challenger additional breathing room without either fighter having scored a knockdown.
Mbilli continued competing rather than allowing the deduction to end his effort. His activity narrowly earned him the ninth and tenth on our card, as Canelo left enough gaps between attacks for the champion to collect points. Canelo remained accurate, but accuracy still needed sufficient output to win those rounds.
The closing two rounds settled matters. Canelo beat Mbilli to openings in the eleventh and finished behind his jab and counters in the twelfth. Mbilli could not generate the sustained late attack needed to threaten a reversal, and Canelo reached the final bell without a serious scare.
This was a successful return built on skills that survived the layoff: timing, punch selection and the ability to defend while remaining close enough to answer. Mbilli made him work and earned rounds through persistence, but never consistently solved the difference between getting Canelo to the ropes and landing effectively once he had him there.
Canelo did not deliver a stoppage, extending his run of distance fights, but he earned the belt with the more precise boxing. Mbilli brought the pressure expected of him; Canelo repeatedly supplied the better answer.
